Michael Imperioli
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Michael Imperioli (born March 26, 1966)<ref>Today in History By The Associated Press, March 26, 2021</ref> is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Christopher Moltisanti in the HBO crime drama series The Sopranos (1999–2007), which earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2004, and as Dominic Di Grasso in the HBO comedy drama series The White Lotus in 2022.
In the early part of his career, he played the role of Spider in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas (1990). He went on to play many supporting roles in films such as Jungle Fever (1991), Bad Boys (1995), The Basketball Diaries (1995), Shark Tale (2004), The Lovely Bones (2009), and One Night in Miami (2020). Imperioli co-wrote the screenplay for Summer of Sam (1999) with Spike Lee, and wrote five episodes of The Sopranos. He made his directorial feature film debut with The Hungry Ghosts (2008), which he also wrote.
For his role as Dominic Di Grasso in the second season of the HBO series The White Lotus (2022) he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. On stage, he made his Broadway debut in the revival of the Henrik Ibsen play An Enemy of the People (2024).
Early life and education
Imperioli was born on March 26, 1966, in Mount Vernon, New York.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His father, Dominic Ralph Imperioli, was a bus driver and amateur actor, and his mother, Claire Linda (née Luzzi), was a department store worker and amateur actress.<ref name="life2">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Stated on Finding Your Roots, January 14, 2025</ref> His ancestors immigrated to New York City from Lazio, Sicily, and Oriolo, Cosenza, Calabria in Italy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
At age 11, Imperioli and his family moved to Brewster, New York, and in high school he began watching Broadway plays.<ref name="life2" /> After graduating from Brewster High School in 1983,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Imperioli planned on studying pre-med at the State University of New York at Albany. The night before he was set to begin college, he confided in his parents that he sought to be an actor. At age 17, Imperioli then moved to Manhattan's East Village, where he enrolled at Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute to study acting. While there, he met John Ventimiglia, who later portrayed Artie Bucco on The Sopranos, and the two became roommates.<ref name="life2" /><ref name=":0" />
In the early 1990s, Imperioli performed as lead vocalist of the New Jersey-based jangle pop band Wild Carnation, departing to focus on his acting career prior to the release of their debut recordings in 1993.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Career
Imperioli has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and five Emmy Awards for his work as Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos. He won one Emmy for the fifth season of The Sopranos in 2004.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In addition to his role on The Sopranos, Imperioli has appeared in a number of films, including Goodfellas, Jungle Fever, Bad Boys, Malcolm X, The Basketball Diaries, Clockers, Dead Presidents, Girl 6, My Baby's Daddy, Lean on Me, I Shot Andy Warhol, Last Man Standing, Shark Tale, High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story, and Summer of Sam, which he also co-wrote and co-produced. He also wrote five episodes for The Sopranos.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Imperioli served as artistic director of Studio Dante,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> an Off-Broadway theater he formed with his wife. He is an active member of The Jazz Foundation of America and co-hosted their May 2009 annual benefit concert, "A Great Night in Harlem", at the Apollo Theater, which celebrated the foundation's 20th anniversary.<ref name="Imperioli JFA">Template:Cite web</ref> He was a guest on the "San Giuseppe" episode of Mario Batali's Food Network television show Molto Mario. In 2010, Imperioli signed on to play the lead in the ABC television show Detroit 1-8-7.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Working with the writer Gabriele Tinti, he wrote the text "Pride" for Tinti's book New York Shots, and participated in a reading of The Way of the Cross at the Queens Museum of Art in 2011.
Imperioli won the Tournament of Stars competition on the cooking show Chopped in 2014, sending $50,000 to his designated charity the Pureland Project, an organization which builds and maintains schools in rural Tibet. In 2016, he guest starred as the angel Uriel on the Fox show Lucifer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On March 13, 2019, Imperioli was cast in the lead role of Rick Sellitto in the NBC drama series Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Imperioli co-hosts a podcast with Steve Schirripa titled Talking Sopranos, which began on April 6, 2020. The two provide inside info as they follow The Sopranos series episode by episode.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By September 2020, the podcast had reached over five million downloads.<ref name="book">Template:Cite web</ref>
On September 17, 2020, Imperioli and Schirripa signed a deal with HarperCollins book imprint William Morrow and Company to write an oral history of the show;<ref name="book" /> the book titled Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos was released on November 2, 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In July 2020, he hosted a show on NTS Radio called 632 ELYSIAN FIELDS, which was inspired by A Streetcar Named Desire.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In September 2020, Imperioli provided narration for The Whistleblower, a podcast about the 2007 NBA betting scandal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Imperioli is the guitarist and vocalist for the band Zopa.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2020, Zopa released their debut album entitled La Dolce Vita.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2021, Zopa headlined the Freakout Festival in Seattle.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Imperioli portrayed Andrew Cuomo in the Showtime limited series Escape at Dannemora (2018), Angelo Dundee in the Regina King directed One Night in Miami (2020), and served as narrator in the 2021 Sopranos prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In January 2022, Imperioli was cast in a lead role in the second season of the HBO dark comedy series The White Lotus.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For his performance he received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. In 2023 it was announced that Imperioli would make his Broadway debut in the 2024 Sam Gold-directed adaptation of the Henrik Ibsen play An Enemy of the People, acting alongside Jeremy Strong and Victoria Pedretti at the Circle in the Square Theatre.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He acted in the Paul Schrader directed film Oh, Canada which premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
Imperioli married Victoria Chlebowski in 1996. They have homes on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and previously in Santa Barbara, California, and have three children. He and his family are avid practitioners of Tae Kwon Do.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2008, Imperioli became a Buddhist.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Imperioli is a fan of the animated sitcom American Dad!. He has called it his favorite TV show in several interviews and has appeared in an episode voicing the character Roger's father Fred.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Alexa | Acid Head | |
| Lean on Me | George | ||
| 1990 | A Matter of Degrees | Zeno's Assistant | |
| Goodfellas | Spider | ||
| 1991 | Jungle Fever | James Tucci | |
| 1992 | Fathers & Sons | Johnny | |
| Malcolm X | Reporter at Fire Bombing | ||
| Mac | Extra | ||
| 1993 | Joey Breaker | Larry Metz | |
| The Night We Never Met | Dry Cleaning Customer #1 | ||
| Household Saints | Leonard Villanova | ||
| 1994 | Touch Base | Bennie | Short film |
| Men Lie | |||
| Hand Gun | Benny | ||
| Amateur | Doorman at Club | ||
| Post Cards from America | The Hustler | ||
| 1995 | The Addiction | Missionary | |
| The Basketball Diaries | Bobby | ||
| Bad Boys | Jojo | ||
| Sweet Nothing | Angelo | ||
| Clockers | Detective 'Jo-Jo' | ||
| Flirt | Michael | ||
| Dead Presidents | D'ambrosio | ||
| Trouble | Ellis | Short film | |
| 1996 | Girls Town | Anthony | |
| I Shot Andy Warhol | Ondine | ||
| Girl 6 | Scary Caller #30 | ||
| Trees Lounge | George | ||
| Last Man Standing | Giorgio Carmonte | ||
| Blixa Bargeld Stole My Cowboy Boots | Johnny | Short film | |
| 1997 | Office Killer | Daniel Birch | |
| The Deli | Matty | ||
| River Made to Drown In | Allen Hayden | ||
| 1998 | Too Tired to Die | Fabrizio | |
| 1999 | On the Run | Albert DeSantis | |
| Summer of Sam | Midnight | Also co-writer | |
| 2000 | Auto Motives | Stud | Short film |
| 2002 | Love in the Time of Money | Will | |
| 2003 | High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story | Stu Ungar | |
| 2004 | My Baby's Daddy | Dominic | |
| Shark Tale | Frankie | Voice | |
| 2007 | The Inner Life of Martin Frost | Jim Fortunato | |
| The Lovebirds | Vincent | ||
| 2008 | Stóra Planið | Alexander | |
| 2009 | The Lovely Bones | Detective Len Fenerman | |
| 2010 | Love & Distrust | Stud | Direct-to-video |
| 2011 | Stuck Between Stations | David | |
| 2013 | The Call | Alan Denado | |
| Vijay and I | Micky | ||
| Oldboy | Chucky | ||
| 2014 | Foreclosure | Bill Landopolous | |
| The Scribbler | Moss | ||
| The M Word | Charlie Moon | ||
| Cantinflas | Michael Todd | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| 2015 | Houses | ||
| The Wannabe | Alphonse | ||
| 2018 | Cabaret Maxime | Bennie Gazza | |
| 2019 | The Last Full Measure | Jay Ford | |
| Primal | Paul Freed | ||
| 2020 | One Night in Miami... | Angelo Dundee | |
| 2021 | The Many Saints of Newark | Christopher Moltisanti | Voice |
| 2024 | Oh, Canada | Malcolm | |
| 2025 | Song Sung Blue | Mark Shurilla | |
| Between Wars | Sarge | Post-production | |
| TBA | The Housewife | Template:TBA | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | NYPD Blue | Duane Rollins | Episode: "Dead and Gone" |
| 1996 | Law & Order | Johnny Stivers | Episode: "Atonement" |
| 1997 | New York Undercover | Miles Gordon | Episode: "The Last Hurrah" |
| Firehouse | Lt. O'Connell | Television film | |
| 1998 | Witness to the Mob | Louie Milito | Television film |
| 1999–2007 | The Sopranos | Christopher Moltisanti | Main cast; also wrote five episodes |
| 2000 | Disappearing Acts | Vinney | Television film |
| Hamlet | Rosencrantz | Television film | |
| 2001 | I Love the '90s | Himself | Episode: "I Love 1990" |
| 2002 | VH1 Big Awards | Himself/Host | Main host |
| 2004 | The Five People You Meet in Heaven | Captain | Television film |
| 2005–2006 | Law & Order | Detective Nick Falco | Recurring cast (season 15), guest (season 16) |
| 2006 | The Simpsons | Dante Jr. (voice) | Episode: "The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer" |
| 2007 | For One More Day | Charley "Chick" Benetto | Television film |
| 2008–2009 | Life on Mars | Detective Ray Carling | Main cast |
| 2010 | Celebrity Ghost Stories | Himself | Episode #2.1 |
| Mercy | Harold Pindus | Episode: "We're All Adults" | |
| The Secret Life of the American Teenager | Dr. Ottavi | Episode: "The Sound of Silence" | |
| 2010–2011 | Detroit 1-8-7 | Detective Louis "Lou" Fitch | Main cast |
| 2012 | Girls | Powell Goldman | Episode: "Leave Me Alone" |
| Necessary Roughness | Jimmy Folkes | Episode: "All the King's Horses" | |
| 2013 | The Office | Sensei Billy | Episode: "Livin' the Dream" |
| Nicky Deuce | The Doctor | Television film | |
| 2014 | Rake | Alberto Rinaldi | Episode: "Bigamist" |
| Californication | Rick Rath | Recurring cast (season 7) | |
| Chopped | Himself | 2 episodes | |
| 2015–2016 | Mad Dogs | Lex | Main cast |
| 2015–2018 | Hawaii Five-0 | Odell Martin | Recurring cast (season 5), guest (season 6 & 8) |
| 2016–2017 | Lucifer | Uriel | Recurring cast (season 2) |
| 2016–2021 | Blue Bloods | Robert Lewis | Recurring cast (season 7), guest (season 11) |
| 2017 | Dice | Himself | Episode: "Fingerless" |
| 2018 | Alex, Inc. | Eddie | Main cast |
| Escape at Dannemora | Andrew Cuomo | Episode: "Part 7" | |
| 2019 | Watchmen | Video Testimonial Man | Episode: "Little Fear of Lightning" |
| 2019–2020 | Project Blue Book | Edward Rizzuto | Recurring cast (season 1), guest (season 2) |
| 2020 | Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector | Rick Sellitto | Main cast |
| 2022 | The White Lotus | Dominic Di Grasso | Main cast (season 2) |
| 2022–2023 | This Fool | Minister Leonard Payne | Recurring cast (season 1-2) |
| 2024 | American Dad! | Fred (voice) | Episode: "Piece by Piece" |
| Kite Man: Hell Yeah! | JoeTemplate:\Moe Dubelz (voice) | Main role<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |
| American Horror Stories | Daniel Hausman-Burger | Episode: "Backrooms" | |
| 2025 | Krapopolis | Uncle Vince (voice) | Episode: "One Eye One Heart She's Stupe" |
| The Dark Money Game | Neil Clark (voice) | Episode: "Ohio Confidential" |
Podcasts
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–2021, 2025 | Talking Sopranos | Self (co-host) | 92 episodes; Video podcast |
| 2022 | Marvel's Wastelanders: Black Widow | Stanley (voice) | 10 episodes; Radio drama and podcast |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Chicken | Floyd | Studio Dante | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2024 | An Enemy of the People | Peter Stockmann | Circle in the Square Theatre, Broadway | <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Awards and nominations
References
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- 1966 births
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- 21st-century American Buddhists
- American male film actors
- American male taekwondo practitioners
- American male television actors
- American people of Italian descent
- American film and television podcasters
- Converts to Buddhism
- Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni
- Living people
- Male actors from Mount Vernon, New York
- Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
- American people of Calabrian descent
- People of Lazian descent
- American people of Sicilian descent
- Theatre World Award winners
- 20th-century American sportsmen